Thread: This welder do what I'm looking for?

yup that machine should do fine for what you want to do. I agree with Rico for the flux core stick to the name brands they just seem to run better than the harbor freight stuff. for the solid wire I havent really noticed a difference between one brand or the other.

I said it was a general rule of thumb and I know us welders don't always abide by it. I have welded 3/8s with with way less the 375 amps with no problem. And I have heard of places spraying material under 1/8". don't ask me how but the instructor was telling us when he was inspecting for a shop. heres some pics of my work. Stops and restarts need work though.




pen for 3g


Pen for both horizontals

wish I had pics of the smaw 3g cert I just did.

Nice work I wish more of our guys could weld like that. I dont weld anymore though for the last couple of years I have been doing magnetic particle inspection and visual inspection of welds they would prob pass our SSP 3.10 visual inspection with some wire brushing. The Navy is picky about how the welds look.

Do you know anything about underwater welding? I've been looking into that kind of stuff and thought the Navy would be the way to go for it.

i worked with a guy who was in the military doing deep water welding, said they lived in a tank for days on end at the bottom of the sea floor and they breathed a mix of oxygen, helium, and something else, and they were cold and shaky most of the time, and eels would be attacking you in the pitch black of the depths while welding. sounds like fun.

i have seen shows of under water welding training, and it looks dangerous. from what i understand the water is kinda live while welding, like a huge arc stick welder, with someone else controlling the on and off switch too.

Originally Posted by BlackGT97

Do you know anything about underwater welding? I've been looking into that kind of stuff and thought the Navy would be the way to go for it.

I'm not sure where I work we dont do any underwater stuff. I'm sure some hull repairs are done in the water. subs are done different than surface sghips though.